by Jamie Mackay
Chapter 16
Tatum's walk home from work was brisker than usual. She knew she only had a couple of hours until Jake would arrive to pick her up, and she thought she might require all of it to get ready. She started in the bath, taking some time to mull over her expectations for the evening. Remembering her disappointment at their previous date's ending, she thought perhaps this time if he tried to kiss her cheek she'd redirect him. Hmm, probably not, she laughed at her knowing she'd probably never follow through with the bravery she felt here in the bathtub.
She picked out her clothes carefully, knowing that the evening would be cool. The Depot was one of the classiest places in Wainwright, so she pulled out one of the dresses she'd chosen while her mom was feeling generous on their recent shopping trip. The dress was a dark blue knit with a high collar. The knitted material fit her every curve and with the recent stress of Michael, she knew her figure was even slimmer than usual, preventing any unwanted bumps. To complete her ensemble, she chose the pumps she'd worn for her first day at WMI; given her acceptance of the unspoken casual dress policy, she knew she'd never again need them for work. Instead of leaving her hair down, as she had done each time before with Jake, she took the time and careful attention needed to put it in a stylish up-do. Her face had recovered from the obvious stress of recent events, and while she applied just enough make-up, she recognized the normal glow of her flawless skin. As was her usual custom, Tatum stood back and evaluated the finished package in the mirror. She looked stunning, older but in an elegant and sophisticated sort of way. Just the look I was going for, she decided as she continued to assess her appearance in the mirror. Last time she'd seen Jake, she was happy to look young and playful, tonight she was only going to be happy with alluring and sexy.
Ready nearly half an hour too early, Tatum poured herself a small glass of wine and sipped slowly while she waited. Finally, the apartment buzzer rang.
"Hi Tatum, I'm here. Can I come up? Or do you prefer I wait down here?"
"I'll be right down; I can't piggy back you from here," she joked.
She carefully descended the stairs as she had done on her first day in the new pumps, again taking caution not to scuff her toes. She entered the apartment lobby.
"Holy cow!" said Jake as he gawked openly at his date. "You look amazing. Wainwright's not going to know what to make of its new uptown resident. You've got style like we don't often see around here." He paused, and then asked "Is that what they all look like in Chicago? Sign me up!" Jake joked.
"You don't look so shabby yourself," responded Tatum.
Jake had taken care to make sure he had also dressed for the occasion. He was still wearing jeans, but they were new, stylish and fit his well-formed rear-end perfectly. In place of cowboy boots, he had leather dress shoes that were a perfect fit with his fashionable denims. On top, he had chosen a t-shirt covered by a button-down long-sleeved top. It was obviously an outfit from a store outside of Wainwright.
"The lady in the store helped me. I guess she took one look at me and saw a project or something," Jake smiled.
"Well, she earned her keep," replied Tatum, although she had to admit that there was a part of her that missed his plaid top and dirty cowboy boots.
.
Tatum stepped up into Jake's pick-up, thankful for his strong arm to support her as she tried to be graceful in her dress that had definitely not been designed for riding in pick-ups. As always, country music was playing quietly in the background. Instead of foreign like the music used to seem, Tatum found it homey and comforting.
They rode in silence, comfortable to just be together. Niko talked all the time, always talking, work talk, business talk, talk talk talk, she thought as she appreciated the relaxed quiet.
"We're here," announced Jake. "I hope it's as good as everyone says it is. Everyone being you," he laughed.
"It is. I promise," answered Tatum.
They mounted the red framed stairs and could hear the jazz music piped gently in around the entry.
"That's a nice touch," said Jake, referring to the jazz.
"Sam outdid herself," responded Tatum. "Wait till you see inside."
Jake was equally as impressed as Tatum had been on her first visit. Tatum had made a reservation and as Jake took in his surroundings, she checked in with waitress who was responsible for seating.
"Dr. O'Neill, so nice to see you again," said the pretty twenty-something that had served Tatum and Sam the night of their multiple bottles of wine. "I can seat you right away. Do you mind if I let Sam know you're here? I'm sure she'll want to come over for a quick hello."
"Of course, I wouldn't have it any other way," answered Tatum.
"Follow me please."
Tatum had to grab Jake's arm and pull him; he'd taken to inspecting the workmanship around the bar area.
"You can sure tell you're a descendent of the Home Hardware clan," Tatum teased.
.
The waitress led them to a quiet table in the upstairs lounge. Tatum had requested the lounge so that she and Jake could share a romantic dinner by music.
"Can I start you with something to drink?" she asked. Tatum looked at Jake.
"You're in charge tonight, you pick," he led.
"We'll have the Mission Hills Shiraz," said Tatum. Then remembered she hadn't even asked Jake if he liked wine. "Is that okay?" she asked quickly.
"Sounds perfect," he answered.
When the wine arrived, the waitress poured a small amount into Tatum's glass to gain her approval and then proceeded to fill their glasses. Over their first glass, the comfortable silence between them changed into comfortable conversation.
"How was your trip home?" Jake asked Tatum.
"We haven't talked in weeks; how did you know I went home?" she asked.
"This is Wainwright Tatum," he said as a matter of fact. "Plus I might have asked about you. Just a little," he smirked.
Tatum blushed, she'd asked about him too. "My trip home was good. It was so nice to see everybody. Michael's not doing so good though. But, I suppose you already know that," she joked.
"No. Actually I didn't hear that. What's going on?"
"While I was home, he had a seizure and went into a coma. Now he's in the hospital, just waiting for surgery."
"Tatum, I'm so sorry," Jake said with sincere empathy.
"Thanks. I'm actually doing better than I was before. It felt really good to get to see him, and I got to spend a lot of time with him before he got hooked up to all the machines and wasn't himself."
"Good. Are you going to go back?"
"Yah, I will go if something changes. My mom and Sarah will let me know."
"I wish there was something I could do to make it better for you."
"Nothing anybody can do. Just have to wait and see. But, that's enough of that. How's work been?"
"It's busy, and I have to leave again on Monday for another three weeks of travel. This time its multiple sites in Europe, otherwise, I would come home in between. It just doesn't make sense to fly all those hours to be home for a day. It's really hard on Brady for me to be gone so long though."
"I guess it would be. Thank goodness for your parents, hey?"
"Yah, they're great. I'd like for you to meet them and Brady sometime."
"I'd like that too," said Tatum. This time she meant it.
.
Just starting their second glass, Sam surprised them and came over to say hello and take their orders herself. Tatum had recommended to Jake that he try the filet mignon she had enjoyed so much on her previous visit to the Depot. She opted to try something new and chose the chicken Oscar. Sam left to put the orders in and the conversation continued.
"We've talked about my work. How's work going for you?"
"Really good actually; I'm starting to get a routine and things are starting to feel pretty comfortable. I wish I had more to do on the Research side though. I'm mostly a glorified babysitter at this point. But, I talked to Anne today and it sound
s like I might be able to get access to the other two units pretty soon."
"That's good," said Jake, although Tatum knew that, given his previous experiences, he didn't really mean it.
"I got an office a while ago too. I don't know if I told you that before?"
"I think you did mention it," he said.
Tatum paused. Do I tell him that I think I got Julia's office? She decided that for now, she'd keep that detail to herself. She didn't know how Jake would react to talking about Julia and WMI in the same conversation.
The conversation shifted to the places Jake was planning to go on his upcoming work trip and Brady. He told Tatum about his son's school and his friends; while he spoke, Tatum could almost feel the obvious pride he felt in his boy.
When their food arrived, the discussion continued freely and before they knew it, time had flown by and it was time to leave for the theatre. Wainwright theatre had one auditorium so that the movie was chosen for them; the show changed on Fridays and today was the first day of the new picture. This week's show was a suspense, a thriller about a young girl who got mixed up in some stuff she should have left alone.
Having just finished dinner, the couple passed on movie treats and found their way to some empty seats. The movie started and Jake placed his arm protectively around Tatum. She leaned into him, hoping that he would take her actions as a bit of an invitation. He lightly kissed her head.
.
The evening drew to a close. Jake held Tatum's hand as he walked her to the door of her apartment.
"Can I see you again? Soon?" he asked hopefully.
"Yes," answered Tatum.
"I'm working for Granddad this weekend so I'm not sure about my schedule, but can I call?"
"Yes," she answered again.
Jake leaned in, looking as if he were about to kiss her. Just like the first time, Tatum felt like a high school girl, waiting for her first embrace. She was hopeful, but not optimistic that he would choose her lips this time. Slowly, Jake lifted Tatum's face. Here it comes, the face turn, she thought. But, instead of turning her face to kiss her cheek, Jake put his soft, warm lips on Tatum's mouth. She gave in completely and let him kiss her fully and wholly. As they kissed, Jake slid his arms around her and so that his large strong frame encased her entirely. Goosebumps rose on Tatum's skin as she felt his hands explore her back and neck. After several minutes, Jake finally stepped back and loosened his grasp.
"Goodnight Tatum."
"Goodnight Jake."
He looked back as he headed toward his truck.
Tatum slept like a baby.
.
It was still dark when Tatum got up Saturday morning for yoga. The early morning class had become part of her weekly routine and her time with Sam something that she looked forward to on a regular basis.
She had taken to dressing more warmly, Seymour Hill had little insulation and the cold Canadian weather was starting to set in. Tatum found her regular spot, and waited anxiously for Sam to arrive.
"Morning Sam," she called out to her friend, inviting her to find her normal spot beside Tatum.
"So... how was the rest of the night out?" she asked, hoping to get some juicy details.
"We just went to the movie, and then home after we left the restaurant. Nothing too exciting to tell."
"Anything to tell from after you got home?" teased Sam.
"He finally got up the nerve to kiss me, but that's as far as it got. Sorry to disappoint you," said Tatum jokingly. "But he did say that he would call me today. Hopefully he follows through, because he is about to go out of town for three weeks, and I might die from loneliness," smiled Tatum.
"Boy, you sure changed your tune," said Sam.
Yeah, I sure have, thought Tatum.
"Okay ladies, time to get started," called Shirley from the front of the room with her usual over-exuberant level of energy.
"You want to finish this over breakfast?"
"You bet I do. Johnny's?"
"Johnny's it is."
.
Over breakfast, Sam wanted all the details of the date with Jake. She'd kept her curiosity under control the night before, but now fully intended to satisfy her desire for all the details.
"I thought you were going to see Niko when you went home. How did you go from that, to Jake last night?"
"I did see Niko."
"That's it. All you're going to say is that you saw him? Come on Tatum, I need some details," she said partly to tease her friend, and partly because she truly did want some details.
"We actually went out that night Michael went into the coma. My mom and dad insisted, said I needed to get my mind off what was happening and that I wasn't doing any good at the hospital anyway."
"So, what happened?" Sam asked with interest.
"We went to dinner and then he took me to the ball game. That's it."
"That's it?" Sam asked with a hint of disbelief. "You made life-changing decisions about your relationships based solely on dinner and a ballgame?" Sam was pretty certain Tatum wasn't telling her everything.
"It was an emotional day, and I had too much to drink. Let's just say that by the time our date was over, I knew our relationship was over as well."
Sam grinned; she knew what Tatum had implied. "So you thought you'd give the big cowboy hunk a real honest to God college try instead?" Sam teased.
Tatum changed her tone to serious and said, "I don't belong there anymore Sam. This place has changed me."
.
Still on a high from the night before, Tatum had more energy than usual and decided to put it to good use. She spent the remainder of the morning and early afternoon doing chores she typically found tiring. But, in the glow of her kiss with Jake, none of her chores seemed as adverse as usual.
Wanting to share her good mood, and spend some time talking about Jake, she called both her mother and Sarah. Each of the conversations lasted for the length of two cups of Earl Grey tea. Then, on a whim, Tatum decided to call Dr. Zubert.
"Hi Dr. Z.? It's Tatum. How are you doing?"
"I'm doing well, how are things with you?"
"I'm good. I just wanted to check in."
"Is there something up? I have to admit I'm a bit surprised to hear from you so soon after having just seen you last weekend."
"Honestly, I don't really know. Remember last week I told you about the files I had found and the patient with Autism, James?"
"Yes, I remember. You said that you thought you had been googling too much and it was making paranoid. Did something else happen?"
"Kind of. I'm allowed to share any information with you as my supervisor, as long as I don't mention any names, right?"
"That's right. I signed an oath of confidentiality for your internship as well. It's normal practice so that as supervisors we can be fully available to the students. Why, what's up?"
"I'm probably making too much of everything," said Tatum, "but I keep seeing things that make me wonder."
"Wonder what?"
"If there are secrets."
"What kinds of secrets? What do you mean?"
"When I got back last week, I saw a therapy client, one that I saw during my first few days, but is not on my regular patient list."
"And?"
"And, she has OCD; her primary compulsion currently is brushing her hair. She brushes repeatedly, until she bleeds."
"That's not all that uncommon."
"I agree, in itself, the brushing didn't seem that unusual. But then when I met with her she told me to look closer and held her hair out of the way so that I could thoroughly inspect her scalp."
"Did you see anything?"
"There were scars, not the type of scars that would come from her excessive grooming, but the type that would be the result of some type of surgery. She told me that she would continue to brush so that no one forgot to scars were there."
"Did she tell you how she got them?"
"Only that she remembered things were particularly bad; then
she thought she fell asleep and when she woke up she had the scars."
"It's not that untypical for mental patients to have some type of surgery as well Tatum," Dr. Zubert stated, speaking from experience.
"Yeah, but I haven't told you the next part, yet."
"There's more?"
"I tried to convince myself I was overreacting, but I couldn't stop from looking through the files I had found to see if there was any other indication of surgical scars that couldn't be explained. On one of the files that Julia had hidden, I found a report of undetermined scarring in the same location as those on the client with OCD."
"A coincidence perhaps?"
"Perhaps. Do you think I'm being silly?"
"I never think that you are being silly Tatum. The fact that you are conscientious and observant is why I recommended you for the internship in the first place. But, WMI is a well known, reputable, and respected institution."
"I know. I'm probably just being ridiculous. Too many movies, I guess. Hey, do you remember that I told you last week James said goodbye to me before I left?"
"Yeah, I think he said that that was the first word he had said to anyone in over 20 years, didn't you?"
"That's right. Well, on Thursday he said some more words," Tatum said with a slight amount of disdain in her voice.
"That's excellent! You must be pretty happy; making more progress than anyone has in a long time. What did he say?" her mentor asked.
"He said mom sexy. I think he meant to call me a sexy mama," Tatum explained. "They are all the same Dr. Z. Even after 20 years without speaking, a man is still a man."
Dr. Zubert laughed out loud.
.
Tatum was still near the phone, having just hung up from her conversation with Dr. Zubert, when ringing tones from her handset interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi Tatum. It's Jake." Tatum's heart skipped a beat at the sound of his voice.
"Hi Jake. What's up?"
"Well, I thought I would try one more time. Is there a chance that you would like to come to my house for dinner tomorrow night? Casual. I thought I would cook, so it will probably be burgers or something. I really would like a chance to show you off to my family and we always have dinner together on Sundays. Do you think you could come?"
"I'd love to."
"How about if I pick you up around five? Sunday dinners tend to be early."
"Sounds perfect. See you tomorrow."
.
Jake showed up at Regency Apartments right at five on Sunday. Despite the change in weather to cooler fall temperatures, Tatum waited outside enjoying the sun and warmth offered by the early afternoon. Although paling in comparison to the picture-perfect quality of the WMI estate, the small park-like yard of Regency Apartments provided ample exposure to the wealth of autumn. Although Tatum looked as if she had been casually enjoying the splendor of the outdoors for hours, her casual demeanor was hiding her inner anxiety about meeting Jake's family. She hadn't kept track, but was fairly certain she had changed her clothes no less than five times, finally settling on a pair of navy Capri pants, paired with boat shoes of a similar colour and a light pink sweater that sat low on her shoulders. She pulled her hair into a pony tail and kept her make-up to a minimum. For Sunday dinner meeting Jake's parents, she wanted to look wholesome; the kind of girl a mom and dad would pick for their baby boy.
"Hi beautiful," Jake called out from the truck window as he pulled up in front of the apartment block. He got out of his truck with the kind of athletic prowess only developed through years of physical labor. Instead of the trendy dress clothes he'd worn on their last meeting, he returned to his typical worn jeans and cowboy boots, a look Tatum had grown to prefer. Jake walked quickly toward her. Catching her off guard with his out-of-character behavior, he grabbed her around the waist, pulled her toward him and kissed her firmly on the lips.
"Wow!" said Tatum. "Now that's what I call a greeting!" Jake continued to hold her hand. "What's the occasion?" she asked. "I'd like to know what I did to deserve that, so I can do it again," she teased.
"I just really had a good time the other night, and I missed you. I've been thinking about doing that for two days and I simply couldn't wait any longer," he answered.
"I've been thinking about it for two days too," said Tatum. "Got any more?" she said with a grin.
Jake leaned in and kissed her one more time, this time with less force and more tenderness than his first kiss. The kiss was long, giving Tatum lots of time to appreciate the sweetness of his mouth and the gentleness of his touch. Finally, they parted lips but they continued to hold hands. As they walked toward Jake's pickup, Tatum looked back at the apartment block. For just a second, she caught a glimpse of Milligan watching out his window. When he caught her eye, he winked, silently letting her know he approved.
.
The Mackinley residence was about ten minutes out of town, right in the heart of the surrounding farm land.
"We're got four sections left," explained Jake as they neared his family home. "The rest has either been sold off, or is now oil land. What's left, dad still farms."
Jake drove quickly along the dusty gravel roads that provided borders to ownership of the respective sections of farmland as only someone who had known the roads their entire life would be able. He sped down the long lane leading to his family's home until he came to an abrupt stop and parked in amongst a series of pickups, tractors, and combines.
With the exception of a small patch of grass and a few shrubs, the yard was ungroomed and intended for work, dirt and dust providing most of the landscaping materials. The family farmhouse had stood for nearly a century, and its age was apparent. Although there were many obvious renovations and upgrades, the original structure and design had been maintained. Although likely considered a large and luxurious home in its day, by present standards, the farmhouse was small and modest.
Jake helped Tatum step down from pickup and then led her onto the front porch where he opened what Tatum assumed was the original wooden screen door. The door let out a loud squeak and then a slam noise as Jake opened and then dropped the door behind them, announcing their arrival to anyone who was listening.
"Jakey? Is that you?" Tatum heard a woman's voice call.
"Yes, mom. We're here," Jake responded.
Mrs. Mackinley was in her mid-60s. She was heavy set woman, who looked exactly as Tatum had expected. She had high cheekbones and shoulder length medium brown hair that she had pulled back into a low set bun, complemented by large soft eyes that made her look like a grandmother described in a storybook. She wore an apron, and it was obvious that the apron had a practical purpose; it was not simply for looks.
"Please excuse the mess I'm in," were her first words to Tatum. "With a house full of boys, I spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen."
"Mom, this is Tatum," introduced Jake. "Tatum, this is my mom, Carol."
"My goodness. You're every bit as breathtaking as Jakey said you were," Mrs. Mackinley stated.
"Thank you," answered Tatum.
"Come on in hun. Can I get you something to drink? Tell me about yourself? How's work?"
Mrs. Mackinley was a talker and Tatum quickly realized there was not going to be any uncomfortable silence to deal with. Suddenly, Tatum understood why Jake was so comfortable in his unlikely friendship with Vinnie.
"Where's Dad and Brady? I'd like to introduce them too."
"Your dad is outside in the barn. I think Brady might be with him."
Jake grabbed Cokes for himself and Tatum and then led her out toward the back part of the family's property. Tatum saw three silhouettes from a distance, apparently mulling over a piece of farming machinery. As they neared, she could tell that two of the three were full grown men, but the last silhouette belonged to a child.
"Tatum, I'd like you to meet my dad, George, my granddad, Pete, and last but not least, Brady."
"Nice to see you again Tatum," said Pete politely, much less willing to show his appreci
ation for Tatum's appearance in the company of his family.
"Yes, nice to see you again too. Thanks again for helping me get set up with all my stuff for the renos."
"No problem. Anything for a girl who can put a smile on my grandson's face. We've waited a long time, you know?"
"So I've heard," said Tatum, looking sideways at Jake. Tatum turned to Jake's father. "Nice to meet you sir," she said.
George smiled shyly and simply said, "Likewise ma'am."
Ahh..., thought Tatum, there we go. An explanation for Jake.
George also looked exactly as Tatum had pictured, tilted hat and John Deere greens. She laughed to herself about the predictability of the Wainwright population.
"And Brady. Nice to meet you," Tatum said, being careful to lower herself so that she was at his level. She had learned from her time working with kids how important it was to never talk down to them physically, or metaphorically.
"Nice to meet you ma'am," said Brady, following the lead of his soft-spoken grandfather.
"I think I saw you on the Home Hardware float the day of the parade. Was that you?" asked Tatum, trying to make conversation with Jake's son.
"Yes, ma'am. I ride on it every year."
"The parade day was the highlight of my summer." She cast a shared glance at Jake. "How about you?" she continued questioning Brady
"Nope, my favourite part was when Grandpa and Dad took me fishing. I'd never been fishing before." Brady continued, talking to Tatum like he'd known her for years.
He told Tatum about his trip and the rest of his summer. When he slowed and edged back toward his more quiet nature, Tatum begged him to continue, wanting to share the world with the most important person in Jake's life. Jake smiled, please at the fact that his son obviously agreed with his choice.
.
Dinner was as casual as promised. Jake had cooked hamburgers and with the help of his mother and Brady, a homemade burger feast was laid out on the table. Tatum sat next to Jake and followed his lead on the family's dinner time customs. To her delight, Brady had chosen the seat next to Tatum, obviously quite taken by his father's new friend.
The conversation flowed easily, Mrs. MacKinley leaving little room for breaks in the dialogue. After dinner, Carol made coffee and cut into the rhubarb and strawberry pie she had been wearing on her apron earlier that day. It was the first time Tatum had been to a farmhouse dinner, but all of a sudden, she felt like she'd belonged there her entire life.
.
It was nearly eleven by the time Jake dropped Tatum off at her apartment. She had spent the evening playing cards with the family and listening intently to Carol tell stories about Jake.
"I had a good time tonight," she said as he walked her to the door.
"Me too. I'm glad you came. My family are crazy, but I love them."
"I can see why," said Tatum.
"Brady likes you," he said. Then Jake's face turned solemn. "I like you too," he said quietly.
Tatum didn't even answer; she was too busy initiating their next kiss, making sure she got her fill before her up-coming three week drought.